The death toll in the tragic hooch incident in Amritsar’s Majitha area has risen to 27, with four more people succumbing to the effects of consuming spurious liquor in the last 24 hours, officials confirmed on Thursday. Among the latest victims, three were from Bhangwan village and one from Galowali Kullian village.
In response to the tragedy, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited the affected villages to distribute compensation cheques of ₹10 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He assured the public that strictest action would be taken against all those responsible for the tragedy. So far, police have arrested 16 individuals connected to the case.
The government is providing free medical treatment to those hospitalized and has announced financial aid of ₹2 lakh for each survivor. “No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a family’s breadwinner, but it is the government’s responsibility to support the surviving members,” Dhaliwal said.
Most victims of the incident were daily wage laborers and ranged in age from 26 to 80 years old. Many were sole earners in their families. The tragedy has impacted several villages, including Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, Talwandi Khumman, Karnala, Bhangwan, and Therewal.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that methanol — a toxic chemical commonly used in industrial products — was illegally procured in bulk online to manufacture the adulterated liquor. Methanol is highly poisonous when ingested and is sometimes illicitly added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper substitute for ethanol, the safe consumable alcohol.
Two separate police cases have been registered at Majitha and Kathunangal police stations under sections 105 and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Excise Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Authorities continue to investigate the matter as the community mourns the devastating loss caused by this avoidable tragedy.
Sources By Agencies